A wire for electric fencing should be conductive, easily visible, easily handled such that it may be conveniently wound onto or off a reel and the wire should be such that it can be readily connected to a power source.
Naked wire presently favoured for use in electric fencing suffers from an important drawback in relation to stock and horses in particular. Although it can be wound onto a small diameter reel, it is poorly visible, especially in the failing light of overcast weather. Dust, rain and mist all reduce the visibility and where horses are confined, particularly racing and breeding animals, the prevention of injury through collision with the fence is of utmost importance to the owners. Collisions at speed between horses and fence wire are not uncommon and the small diameter of the fence wire added to the tension under which it is installed tends to produce laceration or bruising in the animal.
One produce which seeks to improve visibility consists of a strip of sheet aluminum about 100 mm wide with each of the two longitudinal edges rolled over to enclose a separate tensile steel wire. The pair of wires are stapled to wooden fence posts. The strip is enamelled in white and is much more visible than individual fence wires but was not electrifiable since the whole strip was conductive and insulation at the post was a problem. More serious was the impossible of installing the product over undulating ground because the rigidity of the strip precluded adaptation to contour.
Multi strand wires consisting of plastic monofils and metal strands are more easily visible and more easily handled; for example, they can be wound onto a reel but because of the different characteristics of the metal and plastic strands, the conductive metal strands are often broken after periods of use. Further, because the metal strands are exposed, contact between wire and fence standards or other objects will cause short circuiting.
A sheet plastic ribbon has been tested for fixing to an electrifiable fence wire. This ensured good visibility but was subject to tatter by wind and the product was not easily incorporated into a reel windable version. Accordingly, the technical problem of achieving electrical conductivity and visibility remained.